1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solid-liquid separating apparatus for separating solid matter, raw contaminants, etc. from liquid of a solid-liquid mix.
2. Prior Art
Solid-liquid separating apparatus are used in, for example, raw contaminant dehydration treatment devices, etc. installed in kitchen sinks. Such solid-liquid separating apparatus separates the solid matter and liquid from water-containing raw contaminants produced as a mixture of solid matter and liquid by mixing raw contaminants discharged from the kitchen with water and pulverizing this mixture.
One of such solid-liquid separating apparatuses is described in Japanese Patent Application No. H11-133089 (Laid-Open (Kokai) No. 2000-317693) filed by the inventor of the a present application.
This prior art solid-liquid separating apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12.
The solid-liquid separating apparatus 10 is substantially comprised of a strainer 12, a casing 24 and a scraper 20.
The strainer 12 is in a cylindrical shape by way of arranging a plurality of flat-plate-form circular ring members 14 adjacent each other with specified gaps between the circular ring members 14.
The casing 24 has an accommodating section 26 that accommodates the strainer 12. The accommodating section 26 is divided by the strainer 12 into two regions: an internal region B that is inside the strainer 12 and an external region C that is outside the strainer 12. An intake port 28 that introduces a mixture of solid matter and a liquid is formed in the external region C, and an outlet port 30 that discharges to the outside the liquid that passes between the circular ring members 14 and advances into the internal region B is formed in the internal region B.
The scraper 20 includes flat-plate-form protruding elements 22. Tip ends of the protruding elements 22 advance into the gaps between the circular ring members 14. The scraper 20 is moved along the outer circumferential surfaces of the circular ring members 14 so that solid matter adhering to the end surfaces (which are flat surfaces and may also be called the side surfaces) of the circular ring members 14 is removed.
In operation, the strainer 12 acts as a filter. In other words, the liquid 18 passes through the gaps between the stacked circular ring members 14 and advances into the internal region B, and the solid matter 16 that is larger than the gaps is deposited on the outer circumferential surfaces of the circular ring members 14. Some of the solid matter 16 that can advance into the gaps adhere to the end surfaces of the circular ring members 14 and cannot advance into the internal region B. As a result, the solid matter and liquid are separated.
The liquid 18 that has advanced into the internal region B is discharged to the outside of the casing 24 via the outlet port 30. The solid matter 16 adhering to or deposited on the circular ring members 14 is scraped away by the scraper 20 and discharged to the outside of the casing 24 via the discharge opening 34 that is opened in the casing 24. Since the solid matter 16 deposited or adhering on the outer circumferential surfaces and end surfaces of the circular ring members 14 is scraped away by the scraper 20 each revolution of the strainer 12, no clogging would occur; and solid-liquid separation is continuously performed.
The space of the gaps between the end surfaces of the respective circular ring members 14 that make up the strainer 12 is determined based upon the size of the solid matter that is to be separated from the liquid. More specifically, if it is desired to separate even solid matter 16 of a small size so that the proportion of solid matter contained in the liquid 18 following the separation is reduced and the quantity of contaminants in the liquid 18 is thus reduced, then the spacing of the gaps between the circular ring members 14 is narrowed. For the opposite case, the spacing of the gaps between the circular ring members 14 is widened to some extent.
FIGS. 13 through 15 show the solid-liquid separating apparatus 10 in a concrete manner. The solid-liquid separating apparatus 10 comprises the strainer 12, the casing 24, the scraper 20 and a driving device 36 that rotationally drives the strainer 12.
The strainer 12 is formed into a cylindrical body by stacking sideways a plurality of circular ring members 14 with gaps between these circular ring members 14. The circular ring members 14 consist of two types of ring members: flat-plate-form first circular ring members 14a, and flat-plate-form second circular ring members 14b. The second circular ring members 14b have the same external diameter as the first circular ring members 14a, and a plurality of outer projections 38 (in FIG. 13, three outer projections 38) are formed at specified angular intervals on the outer circumferential surface of the second circular ring members 14b. 
More specifically, the strainer 12 is formed in a cylindrical body. This cylindrical strainer 12 is obtained by stacking a plurality of the respective circular ring members 14a and 14b side by side with specified gaps between the respective circular ring members 14a and 14b. A specified number of first circular ring members 14a (for instance, a single first circular ring member 14a in FIGS. 14 and 15) are interposed between two second circular ring members 14b. 
Furthermore, spacers 44 are fitted over first stays 42 that pass through through-holes 40 formed in the respective circular ring members 14a and 14b and integrally connect all of the circular ring members 14a and 14b. Thus, the spacers 44 are used as a means for setting the spacing of the circular ring members 14a and 14b. The thickness of the spacers 44 constitutes the size of the spacing of the gaps between the respective circular ring members 14a and 14b. 
Spokes 46 of a Y-shape, for instance, are formed so as to be connected to the inner edges of the circular ring members 14a and 14b; and a rotating shaft 48 is installed in the center of these spokes 46. Both ends of the rotating shaft 48 are rotatably supported on the casing 24. At least one end of the rotating shaft 48 protrudes to the outside of the casing 24, and this end is rotationally driven by the driving device 36. The strainer 12 is thus rotated in the direction indicated by the curved arrow in FIG. 13.
The second circular ring members 14b which have the outer projections 38 on their outer circumferential surfaces are arranged so that the outer projections 38 form the ribs 50 on the outer circumferential surface of the strainer 12. Thus, the ribs 50 extend in the axial direction of the strainer 12. In other words, when the strainer 12 is viewed from one end thereof, the outer projections 38 of one second circular member 14b is positioned directly behind the outer projections 38 of the next second circular ring member 14b so that the ribs 50 are formed by these outer projections 38. As a result, a plurality of ribs 50 that extend parallel to the axis of the strainer 12 are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the strainer 12. Since the first circular ring members 14a that have no outer projections 38 are interposed between the second circular ring members 14b, spaces are formed in the ribs 50.
The ribs 50 push and transfer the separated solid matters 16 to the discharge opening 34 along the inner surface of the tubular accommodating section 26.
The strainer 12 is installed inside the tubular accommodating section 26 so that the axis of rotation of the strainer 12, i.e., the rotating shaft 48 that is connected to the strainer 12, is oriented in a horizontal direction. The openings at both ends of the strainer 12 are closed off by a pair of opposite inside wall surfaces of the tubular accommodating section 26 of the casing 24. Thus, the movement of the liquid between the outer region C and inner region B of the strainer 12 is accomplished mainly by the gaps between the circular ring members 14a and 14b. 
In the solid-liquid separating apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 13, the intake port 28 is located at a lower position than the outlet port 30. Thus, the mixture constantly accumulates in the lower portion of the tubular accommodating section 26, the lower portion of the strainer 12 is immersed in the mixture, and the upper portion of the strainer 12 is exposed above the liquid level F of the mixture.
The discharge opening 34 is opened in the upper portion of the tubular accommodating section 26 so that the discharge opening 34 is located in the outer region C of the strainer 12. The discharge opening 34 extends in the direction of the axis of rotation of the strainer 12, so that it allows the solid matter 16, that has been separated from the liquid and carried along the inner circumferential surface of the tubular accommodating section 26 by the ribs 50, to be discharged to the outside of the casing 24.
The discharge opening 34 opens into the space of the tubular accommodating section 26 above the liquid level F of the mixture. The discharge opening 34 is located on the downstream side of the top area T of the strainer 12 with respect to the direction of rotation D of the strainer 12 and is on the upstream side of the scraper 20 with respect to the direction of rotation D of the strainer 12.
A cover member 52 is disposed on the discharge opening 34 of the casing 24 so as to close the discharge opening 34. More specifically, one end of the cover member 52 is pivotally connected to the edge of the discharge opening 34 located on the upstream side of the discharge opening 34 with respect to the direction of rotation D of the strainer 12, so that the other end of the cover member 52 that is on the downstream side with respect to the direction of rotation D of the strainer 12 is moved or swings toward and away from the discharge opening 34 as indicated by two-head arrow in FIG. 13.
The cover member 52 is constantly urged toward the strainer 12 by an urging means such as a spring, 54. The spring 54 is coupled at one end thereof to the casing 24 and at another end thereof to the cover member 53.
By way of bias of the spring 54, the cover member 52 presses the solid matter 16 that is pushed and moved by the ribs 50 of the strainer 12 against the outer circumferential surface of the strainer 12 and squeezes the liquid out of the solid matter 16.
As seen from FIG. 15, the scraper 20 is constructed by stacking sideways a plurality of flat plates. As shown in FIG. 13, the scraper 20 is disposed on the downstream side of the top area of the strainer 12 with respect to the direction of rotation D of the strainer 12. In addition, the scraper 20 is disposed near the discharge opening 34 so that it is located on the downstream side of the discharge opening 34 with respect to the direction of rotation D of the strainer 12.
The scraper 20 will be further described below in regards to its more concrete structure.
The scraper 20 is comprised of plate-form first protruding elements 56, plate-form second protruding elements 58 and supporting elements 60.
Each of the first protruding elements 56 is formed from a plate material that has the same thickness as that of the respective first circular ring members 14a that make up the strainer 12, and the tip end (upper end in FIG. 15) of the first protruding element 56 protrudes toward the outer circumferential surface of each one of the first circular ring members 14a so as to scrape away solid matter 16 adhering to the outer circumferential surfaces of the first circular ring members 14a. 
Each of the second protruding elements 58 is formed from a plate material that has the same thickness as each one of the gaps between the first circular ring members 14a and second circular ring members 14b. The tip end (upper end in FIG. 15) of the second protruding element 58 advances into the gaps between the first and second circular ring members 14a and 14b so as to scrape away solid matter 16 adhering to the respective flat surfaces of the circular ring members 14a and 14b. 
Each of the supporting elements 60 is formed from a plate material that has the same thickness as that of the respective second circular ring members 14b that are formed with outer projections 38 on their outer circumferential surfaces.
The first protruding elements 56, second protruding elements 58 and supporting elements 60 are, as seen from FIG. 14, disposed in a specified order in accordance with the disposing order of the first circular ring members 14a and second circular ring members 14b that make up the strainer 12. More specifically, the first protruding elements 56 are positioned so as to face the circumferential surfaces of the first circular ring members 14a, the second protruding elements 58 are positioned so that pointed end areas thereof enter into the gaps between the circular ring members 14a and 14b, and the supporting elements 60 are positioned so as to face the circumferential surfaces of the second circular ring members 14b. The first protruding elements 56, second protruding elements 58 and supporting elements 60 are further formed into an integral unit by second stays 64 that pass through through-holes 62 formed in these elements.
In this structure, the gaps between the respective circular ring members 14a and 14b are set to be smaller than the thickness of the respective circular ring members 14a and 14b. As a result, the thickness of the second protruding elements 58 that advance into the gaps between the respective circular ring members 14a and 14b is smaller than the thickness of the circular ring members 14a and 14b. Thus, the strength of the second protruding elements 58 might be insufficient. Accordingly, the second protruding elements 58 are reinforced by being interposed between the first protruding elements 56 and the supporting elements 60 that are positioned on both sides of the second protruding elements 58.
In the structures shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the first circular ring members 14a are positioned at both ends of the strainer 12 (which is a cylindrical shape as a whole). Accordingly, the first protruding element 56, the second protruding element 58 and the supporting element 60 are disposed in this order from one end of the scraper 20, thus forming a xe2x80x9cunitxe2x80x9d; and this xe2x80x9cunitxe2x80x9d is repeated in the direction of the second stays 64, and the first protruding element 56 is disposed at another end of the scraper 20.
In the structure shown in FIG. 15, the first protruding elements 56a which are positioned at both ends of the scraper 20 differ in shape from other first protruding elements 56 positioned in the intermediate portions of the scraper 20. In other words, the first protruding elements 56a at both ends are larger and have a broader area compared to other first protruding elements 56. The intention is to have these first protruding elements 56a at both ends hold the cover member 52 (positioned on the upstream side of the scraper 20 with respect to the direction of rotation D of the strainer 12) from both sides so that both ends of the cover member 52 are covered by these first protruding elements 56a. 
The solid material 16 transferred by the strainer 12 are scraped away while being traveling downward from the top area of the strainer 12, thus being separate from the strainer 12 and discharged out of through the discharge opening 34.
However, the solid-liquid separating apparatus described above has problems.
The solid-liquid separating apparatus involves the spacers 44 that are used to secure the gaps between the end (flat) surfaces of the respective circular ring members 14. As a result, the spacers 44 need to be respectively fitted one at a time over a plurality of first stays 42 each time a circular ring member 14 is inserted and stacked thereon. This requires careful work on the part of the worker. In other words, increased labor is required for assembling the strainer 12, and this results in an increase in the cost of manufacturing.
Furthermore, due to the variations in the thickness dimensions of the circular ring members 14 and spacers 44, a cumulative error is created in the axial dimension of the strainer 12 that is formed by the circular ring members 14 and the spacers 44. As a result, there may be cases in which the length of the strainer 12 does not match the length of the first stays 42.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to solve the problems with the prior art solid-liquid separating apparatus.
More specifically, the object of the present invention is to provide a solid-liquid separating apparatus that includes a strainer formed by a plurality of circular ring members with specified gaps in between, thus making possible to use no spacers seen in the prior art separating apparatus.
The above object is accomplished by a unique structure for a solid-liquid separating that is comprised of:
a strainer that is a cylindrical body formed by a plurality of flat-plate-form circular ring members with gaps in between;
a casing with an accommodating section for accommodating therein the strainer, the accommodating section being divided by the strainer into an internal region that is inside the strainer and an external region that is outside the strainer, an intake port that introduces a mixture of solid matter and liquid being formed in the external region, and an outlet port that discharges to the outside the liquid that passes between the circular ring members and advances into the internal region being formed in the internal region, and
a scraper that has flat-plate-form protruding elements whose tip ends advance into the gaps between the circular ring members, the scraper being moved along the outer circumferential surfaces of the circular ring members so as to scrape away the solid matter adhering to the circular ring members,
wherein the unique structure of the present invention is that the strainer is comprised of:
a pair of end-part circular ring members disposed at both ends of the strainer,
a plurality of intermediate circular ring members disposed between the pair of end-part circular ring members and have inward projections projecting from the inner circumferential surfaces, and
a plurality of lateral bridge members installed between the pair of end-part circular ring members, each of the lateral bridge members being formed with a plurality of engaging parts that engage with the inward projections of the intermediate circular ring members and hold the intermediate circular ring members with the gaps between the circular ring members, and the engaging parts being lined up in the direction of the length of each the lateral bridge members.
With the structure above, spacers that are fitted over first stays while the first stays are passed through a plurality of circular ring members so that the spacers are disposed between the respective circular ring members as in the prior art are not required. Accordingly, the working characteristics in assembling the strainer are improved.
Furthermore, the total length of the strainer that is formed by the circular ring members is defined by the length of the lateral bridge members (or more specifically, by the length that is obtained by adding the thickness of the end-part circular ring members to this lent length of the lateral bridge members). Accordingly, any cumulative error would not be generated by the thickness differences in the circular ring members as in the prior art.
The engaging parts are formed so as to be lined up in a row on one side of each lateral bridge member. Alternatively, the engaging parts may be formed so as to be in one row on each side of each lateral bridge member so that the engaging parts in two rows are staggered. When the staggered engaging parts bridge member is used, the spacing of the gaps between the intermediate circular ring members becomes half the spacing of the one row engaging parts bridge member. This half spacing can be realized without varying the spacing of the engaging parts formed on one row on one side of each lateral bridge member by alternately engaging the intermediate circular ring members with the engaging parts of the staggered engaging parts.
Furthermore, in the solid-liquid separating apparatus of the present invention, each one of the intermediate circular ring members of the strainer can be formed on its inner circumferential surface with bifurcated projections that project inwardly, so that a plurality of second lateral bridge members are engaged with the bifurcated projections. The second lateral bridge members are provided between the pair of end-part circular ring members and restrict the rotation of the intermediate circular ring members relative to the end-part circular ring members. With this structure, the relative rotation between the circular ring members can be prevented without using first stays seen in the prior art separating apparatus. Furthermore, the assembly work of the strainer is generally simpler when the second lateral bridge members are employed and engaged with the bifurcated projections than in the case of assembling a strainer using the stays as in the prior art.